Latest News on Andy and Roland Garros

One thing I forgot to say. A friend of mine was surprised Andy has had an injury since 2011. I know he has, but I was trying to remember when he had the injury that made him withdraw from the WTF. Didn't he injure himself at the Paris Masters?

I know I missed seeing Paris that year, I must have had visitors. I just seem to remember hearing about Andy getting injured, but in my head it was in Paris, but I'm not sure.

I think it does date back to around that period dani and tj but with reference to your friend tj, I'm not sure a chronic back problem is quite the same as an 'injury', which I think of as a one-off (which can of course recur i accept). Also didn't he have a groin injury at start of wtf rather than a back injury?One thought about Kev's 3rd option. Rafa was able to take his time out during a combination of the hard court and off season. Hard courts are his least favourite surface and the surface that is worst for his knees. If Andy took time out now, it would be at the start of the season when he plays his best and on surfaces that are best for his back. So I think things would have to be very bad indeed for him to go for that option at this point in the tennis year.

I can relate. A few months ago I sustained a severe wrist injury that kept me out of playing fully for nearly a month, but it was not just in tennis that I found the injury most painful. In everyday activities such as writing, lifting etc. it was excruciating. I went to see my GP and he recommended I get a needle stuck into the bottom of my palm, which somehow releases tension on the wrist tendons. I asked for more information and went to consult a professional further. He said that it actually causes more pain than usual instead of curing the injury.

That's a risk people are sometimes forced to take - trying a 'cure' which could make matters worse instead of better, or leaving the body to try and heal itself through rest and other forms of management. I hope it doesn't come down to this with Andy.

As for the benefits Andy actually achieved through several days hard practice with Lendl in MC in order to be fit for the remainder of the clay-court season, these would seem to amount to nil - in fact he might be reasonably OK now if he'd just had a complete rest instead, given that he's never likely to do all that well on clay.

It's very tragic that this has come to a head just when Andy's career was really beginning to take off, which is why I'm a bit surprised he didn't do something about it last year in order to hopefully get it sorted out as near to 100% as possible. My impression then was that the situation would be reviewed after the USO - which would seem to be as good a time as any to end his season, but who knows what the effects of winning his first Slam had on him? When you're on a high, as he must have been, it must be difficult to contemplate calling it a day with more tournaments still to play unless severe pain forces the issue.

I think the problem with Andy's condition, apart from the all too obvious injury of course, is that everyone has an opinion. I think it's interesting in a sort of broad sense to hear of treatment options, things he could try, but the thing is that no one, apart from him, his team and those who are trying to help him, know exactly what the injury is, how bad it is and what has already been done, if anything, so people don't really know what they are talking about.

I was talking to my sister, who is a nurse, after Andy pulled out in Rome. She said that some back problems can cause hip pain, but equally, some hip problems will cause back pain. She said that without a doctor seeing an injury, knowing the history of it and making a proper assessment, it's impossible to accurately diagnose and more to the point, people shouldn't try. Sounds fair enough to me.

A number of the stories I've read are saying that Andy has a disc injury. Now to be fair I may have missed him saying that, but I don't remember him ever saying exactly what the injury is. I tend to think that if people don't know something, they tend to make their own conclusions, which seems crazy to me. It's that sort of thing that led to certain people to suggest he was being 'a drama queen' last year, and now look where we are.

The thing I sincerely hope is that everyone around Andy will encourage him to go with his instinct about RG. Even if the specialists feel he could play without damaging himself further, if he feels a doubt in his mind, if his gut feeling is telling him not to, he should not play. I'm a believer in instinct. The thing is, I know the rankings are important. I know going a longish period without playing matches might not be ideal, but I think Andy should think about himself and what feels right. It's his career after all.

What I don't understand now is why Andy insists on being so reluctant to tell the world at large what exactly the problem is and thereby put an end to the senseless and unhelpful speculation. After all, the players have no advantage over him now because they know where the problem is.

As for Djokovic - he should keep his mouth shut. If he chooses to wreck his body, then that's his problem. There's nothing heroic about boasting how you can play through the pain barrier, or ignoring medical advice - as he did with his ankle which, surprise, surprise, is still giving him pain.

What I don't understand now is why Andy insists on being so reluctant to tell the world at large what exactly the problem is and thereby put an end to the senseless and unhelpful speculation. After all, the players have no advantage over him now because they know where the problem is.

To be honest I just think Andy is entitled to a level of privacy. The world didn't demand to know what the issue was with Nadal (maybe it should have done) exactly, and he gave out three different causes of his problems. I think it should suffice to say that Andy has a lower back problem, because that is exactly what he's said from the start. The cause, the treatment, what it might mean further down the line, is for him to know, and probably for others to speculate about.

My worry for Andy has been that other players now know he has a chronic back issue and could use it. However, I thought again. Andy got to the Wimbledon final with the problem. He won the Olympics with the problem. He won the USO with the problem. The surface it causes him the problems is the clay, for reasons we've already discussed. Then again, the clay is Andy's weakest surface anyway, so maybe he has decided not to worry about that.

If it is true that Nadal can only practice for 50 mins how is he going to be if he has to play 5 sets on grass and hard courts. I suppose we will have to wait and see. He did not appear to be in any pain on the clay courts maybe a bit of untrue information going on about his knees. It makes you wonder.

If it is true that Nadal can only practice for 50 mins how is he going to be if he has to play 5 sets on grass and hard courts. I suppose we will have to wait and see. He did not appear to be in any pain on the clay courts maybe a bit of untrue information going on about his knees. It makes you wonder.

It's a shame if he is 'at it'. And if he is, then his victories must be a little hollow.

If it is true that Nadal can only practice for 50 mins how is he going to be if he has to play 5 sets on grass and hard courts. I suppose we will have to wait and see. He did not appear to be in any pain on the clay courts maybe a bit of untrue information going on about his knees. It makes you wonder.

I don't know. He has made no secret that the clay is easier on his knees. The tests will be going best of five, even at RG, the grass, and, of course, the hard courts.

However genuine the knee problems are, and to be fair we don't know, I still firmly believe Nadal spent some of his time out working on his game, and I don't just mean from about November, when he was rumoured to be coming back. I'm sorry, but who else spends an extended period of time out and then comes back playing like that, albeit that some of the clay titles he's won have been 250's this year?

On the other hand Nadal could have just had the longest hissy fit in history after Rosol beat him at Wimbles.

What I don't understand now is why Andy insists on being so reluctant to tell the world at large what exactly the problem is and thereby put an end to the senseless and unhelpful speculation. After all, the players have no advantage over him now because they know where the problem is.

Goodness, I didn't realise Nadal's knees were that bad!

As for Djokovic - he should keep his mouth shut. If he chooses to wreck his body, then that's his problem. There's nothing heroic about boasting how you can play through the pain barrier, or ignoring medical advice - as he did with his ankle which, surprise, surprise, is still giving him pain.

Djoko's comments are typical of what he says in the media re: opponents. He can be very ambiguous .... to me that one was half supportive & half undermining. Actually ... that is another reason I prefer Andy to the other top guys... he is rarely ambiguous and comes across as sincere..he is a positive realist. Djoko whilst I like him...is very self centered...imo